American Morning
Gut check: Is prime-time entertainment partisan?
If Bristol Palin's presence on "Dancing with the Stars" proved anything, it showed how partisan we've become.
Some believe the only reason she remained on the show for so long is because of a Tea Party or Republican conspiracy. Seneca Doane wrote on the liberal DailyKos.com: "She (Bristol Palin) is evidently clearly inferior to the other contestants, but Sarah Palin fans keep on voting her in not because of her greater talent but as a tribute to her grifter mom. Evidently, they're making a political point."
Bristol and her dance partner Mark Ballas insist that's not true. Ballas insists, "I've had loads of people come up to me, especially out here in LA and say I’m 100% Democrat, but I vote for you guys every week - because I have a normal life, I’m a normal family. I come home to my normal TV set and tune in and I think to myself if I was on that show that's exactly how I would be and I enjoy watching the journey and it's inspiring."
The funny thing – or the sad thing – is just how much we've politicized everything in country. The headline in "The Hollywood Reporter" describes "The Reign of Right-Wing Primetime." In a new study, media research company Experian Simmons came up with a list of shows favored by Republicans and by Democrats. Among the shows Republicans watch: “Dancing with the Stars,” “Modern Family,” and “Big Bang Theory.” Democrats apparently watch shows about "damaged characters" like “Mad Men,” “30 Rock” and “Dexter” – all shows with much lower ratings. Republicans it seems are more devoted to their favorites and watch in greater numbers.
This supposed partisan divide in TV viewing habits has erupted over Bristol Palin. Kim Serafin, who worked in politics with Rudy Giuliani and is now senior editor of In Touch Weekly, put it this way: "It's kind of funny but not entirely surprising. Because people do politicize everything. They politicize TV shows, they politicize movies, they politicize celebrities. Everything that people do these days is politicized."
Gut check: Many of us expect our politicians to reach across the aisle – but do we really mean that? We're so partisan there are Republican and Democratic TV shows – can't we just enjoy the show?
Capt. Sully: Pilot body scans are a 'waste of limited resources'
America’s hero pilot Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger speaks out about airport body scanners today on American Morning.
Captain Sully, who landed a U.S. Airways flight on the Hudson River last year, opposes the new full-body scanners for flight personnel due to their radiation risk.
This morning Sullenberger tells AM why he thinks pilots are trusted crew members, and why he believes there are better options for pilots than the full body scan.
What motivates Americans to go green?
Do you buy recyclable items because you know it will benefit the planet, or because you want to keep up with the neighbors?
CNN's Deb Feyerick takes a look at why people decide to go green.
‘Mama Grizzly’ meets real bears in first episode of TLC series
Is it reality TV worth watching or just one big campaign ad?
Sarah Palin’s new reality TV series "Sarah Palin's Alaska" premiered Sunday night on TLC. The series, which features Palin and her family in their home setting in Alaska, has both political and entertainment commentators buzzing this morning.
Brian Stelter, media reporter for the New York Times, and Shushannah Walshe, Daily Beast writer and co-author, Sarah From Alaska, talk to AM’s Carol Costello this morning about the show.
TSA may change pilot screenings after body scan backlash
Passengers and pilots have already expressed discomfort with TSA’s revealing full-body scanners and too-close-for-comfort pat downs. Now, at least one is doing so publicly.
Over the weekend, a 31-year-old man refused a pat down at a San Diego airport. The cell phone video where he tells a TSA agent, don't "touch my junk," has gone viral.
Homeland Security Chief Janet Napolitano is speaking out, too. She writes a USA Today column defending pat downs and scanners and asking passengers for their patience.
This morning, TSA speaks to American Morning. TSA Administrator John Pistole, who meets with Napolitano today, tells AM’s John Roberts how TSA is changing its tone with passengers.
Pistole responds to passengers planning a "National Opt-Out Day" in protest of the scanners and Capt. Sully Sullenberger's recent comments that he doesn't understand the purpose of screening pilots.
Ransom money frees couple from pirates after many attempts
(CNN) - Paul and Rachel Chandler said they were "skinny and bony - but fine" after more than a year being held hostage by pirates but the British couple could spend years coming to terms with the "psychological torture" of their ordeal.The Chandlers, who were seized while sailing off the Horn of Africa in October 2009, said Monday they planned to return to the UK very soon to be reunited with their families. With the couple pictured on the front pages of most British newspapers on Monday, they also face intense media interest in their story.
What’s the impact of the $750,000 in ransom money paid for the couple’s release? And how unprecedented, or not, is this case?
CNN reporter and pirate expert Kaj Larsen answers these questions and explains how the pirate negotiating process works. He talks about the bumps along the way before the Chandlers were released.
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